


a hurricane within my rib cage

by averagebidentist



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Revali's depressive thoughts, Tagged major character death only because this is from Revali's POV, in this fic anyway, who is very much dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27573469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/averagebidentist/pseuds/averagebidentist
Summary: Revali spends a century grieving - for himself, for his fellow Champions, for what was lost. But all that is lost can be found.
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 71





	a hurricane within my rib cage

Revali grieves; it's all he does these days.

There's not much to do other than mourn and muse and let his thoughts get the best of him. The lack of communication with the outside world long drove his sanity away. To think once upon a time Medoh was a place he would go to for solace and solitude, but now solace is a jumbled mess of what-could-have-beens and solitude is lost in the loud droning Medoh's gears make.

He spent a long time refusing to accept his defeat to Windblight Ganon, searching for any indication that his entrapment within his own divine beast was merely a play of the mind - some illusion that Ganon had crafted in the moments Revali was knocked to the ground, pained, breathless. It would not be below Ganon to come up with a foul trick to distract the Champions from targeting their divine beasts at him. And there were days where Revali truly believed this theory of his, that he was not dead. But those were the days he spent away from the main terminal, pretending the mass of malice wrapped around the terminal in a cocoon similar in size to his own body did not exist.

It took him the better part of a decade to come to terms with his death. If he were alive, somebody would have come to his rescue - though how they would make their way to Medoh while it terrorized the skies above Rito Village was a loophole his mind did not want to entertain. But his fellow Champions would have found a way, wouldn't they? The fact that they had not made their way to Medoh to check on him had heavy implications that they were in a similar situation as him, if not worse.

That made him taste bile in the back of his throat. Revali had never seen Daruk's shield crack, did not even know it was possible for the shield to fail him; how could Urbosa's ability to wield lightning itself not be sufficient to save her, especially when she had strength and skill to match; and Mipha was never the best of fighters, but what use was healing abilities if they could not save the healer?

It was almost comforting to know that he was not the only one who failed.

Part of him wondered why his spirit was still allowed to exist. He could not understand the point of keeping their spiritual form locked up for the sake of it. It was a form of torment for sure, but he would have thought Ganon would be more inclined to actively toy with them, use them against each other, instead of merely discarding them to a side.

This train of thought led him to the conclusion that Ganon was still preoccupied. Somewhere out there someone was defending Hyrule from complete destruction, and if Princess Zelda’s inability to awaken her sealing powers still held true, then Link must be single-handedly hacking and slashing away at Ganon. But that made no sense. Link would have to rest at some point, no amount of potions could replenish health and stamina infinitely. It was much simpler to believe both the princess and Link were fighting Ganon together, but a decade of fighting from the chosen heroes would have seen an end to the calamity.

Yet the calamity had not ended, meaning one of them must have been lost. And it was selfish for him to think this way, but Revali hoped it was Link who prevailed.

Princess Zelda was strong, a leader by birth and by character, and though he held great respect for her perseverance and devotion in serving Hyrule, Link commanded a different kind of respect that left Revali in awe every time he should ponder too long about the boy.

To have been burdened with the fate of a kingdom and the lives of so many at such a young age, and to have shouldered that responsibility along with other relatively trivial tasks like playing bodyguard for a princess who shunned you at every opportunity… Revali would not claim to understand what he had not personally experienced, but he always thought the hardship made him and Link somewhat alike, in a way.

It was the reason behind his initial challenges proposed to Link. He wanted to witness for himself the prowess Link reputedly had, and perhaps show him they were not so dissimilar after all. Yet with every provocation and aggravation that only earned him a blank stare and an emotionless facade, he began to understand why the princess thought her knight’s indifference to be a nuisance.

Irritating at best, insulting at worst.

But it was never about besting Link. He knew that even without the legendary sword, Link was an accomplished swordsman - it was why he believed the rumours of Link having beaten adult soldiers in swordplay even at a young age. But he also knew talent had to be honed, or it would fade with time and leave a boastful shell of a person in its wake, and to have discovered Link not taking the Goddess’s gift for granted was… exhilarating.

Yet to have held someone in such high regard, only to later on discover they were now either dead or struggling to defeat Ganon despite all their prowess and strength… For a brief while, Revali couldn’t help directing all his disappointment and anger onto the boy, though deep down he knows he is more upset at himself than at anybody else.

It’s a strange thing - the strive for perfection conditioned him to be so much harder on himself; where others were allowed leniency, he himself was not. Perhaps if this spiritual form turns out to be an illusion in the end, he would have the opportunity to make up for his failure. After all, his failure contributed in no small part to Hyrule's doom. It would be the least he could do.

His little illusion theory was confirmed to be wishful thinking when Link clambers onto Medoh for the first time since it was corrupted. A hundred years since he’s seen that face - still youthful and exactly the same as Revali last saw him. Almost as if a hundred years merely added an inch or two to his hair and nothing more. There’s a frown on his face when Revali first greeted him, and Revali watched as Link glanced around in search of the owner of the voice, even though he was right  _ there _ .

He can’t see him.

And if the furrowed brows were anything to go by, he doesn’t seem to remember Revali either.

Revali let out a dry laugh. In that moment of realization, he wanted nothing more than to tear Ganon apart himself. What had happened to Link in those hundred years that broke him to the point of memory loss? There’s a lump in his throat, and it was all he could do to swallow it and guide Link to the guidance stone.

It came as no surprise when Link clears most of the malice in Medoh and unlocks all the terminals. It came as no surprise when he defeats Windblight Ganon.

What surprised Revali was the same warmth emanating from Link's eyes when he first looked upon Revali's ghostly spirit form, the same softness he was graced with a hundred years ago when Link had all his memories of being in love. The boy standing before him in his snowquill armor who no longer remembered the sarcastic and hurtful insults Revali used to throw at him. Revali was ashamed of his past actions, yes, regretful even, that their relationship had started off tense with his own emotional turmoil, but he would not have wanted Link to forget how they started. The appeal in their relationship laid in first baring his worst qualities to Link, and still have him fall in love regardless.

At least this time around when Revali gifted him his gale, Link had the decency to look awed when the winds lifted him into the air, though his stoic expression returned when he landed once more. It was better than nothing, he supposed.

That was the closest to happiness Revali had felt in such a long time. Those brief hours watching Link work his way through Medoh, and the fleeting moment where Link could finally lay eyes on his spiritual form…

But Link had to go.

He had to leave, and when his body started dissipating Revali willed himself to turn his back on Link. It would likely be less bittersweet if he pretended Link had never boarded Medoh, then he wouldn’t be burdened with the knowledge of Link’s amnesia, and he could pretend Link still remembered them, from a time long gone.

Most nights, Revali plagues and overwhelms himself with the thought of Link having forgotten every moment they shared. Those were the nights Link was halfway across Hyrule, too far away for him to lay eyes on, too far away to silently observe. Those were the worst nights. Revali has always known solitude - it had been part of his upbringing, part of his success in forging himself into a warrior, part of his journey as a Champion, and especially during his entrapment within his own divine beast - but solitude had not been as bitter as seeing Link venture off on his quest to free Hyrule from Ganon. It tasted like bile in the back of his throat, knowing once upon a time he had stood beside Link as they travelled with their little party. And now even after his spirit is free, his only option is to stand aside while Link fulfills the prophecy.

What he wouldn’t give to spend time with Link again, if only to watch him pick apples for his horse, or dive into shallow rivers for dinner, or the simple action of tying his overgrown hair into a messy ponytail.

There were some nights, however, Revali allowed himself to hope again. Those were the nights Link would return to Rito Village with seemingly no purpose. He doesn't ever stay longer than a few days, and most of the time he's not actually  _ in _ the village, but in the nearby monster camps clearing the road for the common folk.

Some nights he wastes precious resting time to climb all the way up to where Medoh roosted, only to sit quietly with his legs dangling off the edge.

Some nights he pays for a bed at the stables, only to crouch by the fire facing Rito Village, staring at the divine beast with a far-off look in his eyes that Revali wants desperately to interpret as longing.

Those were the nights Revali finds hope again, and perhaps love does find a way in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> I did realize (a little too late) Ganon imprisoned the Champions' spirits to gain control of the divine beasts as they can only be controlled by their respective pilots... but ya


End file.
